Optical molecular imaging and theranostics in neurological diseases based on aggregation-induced emission luminogens

Peili Cen; Youyou Zhou; Chunyi Cui; Yen Wei; Zhen Cheng; Shuizhu Wu; Hong Zhang; Mei Tian

doi:10.1007/s00259-022-05894-7

Optical molecular imaging and theranostics in neurological diseases based on aggregation-induced emission luminogens

Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2022 Nov;49(13):4529-4550. doi: 10.1007/s00259-022-05894-7. Epub 2022 Jul 4.

Authors

Peili Cen^{1

2

3}, Youyou Zhou^{1

2

3}, Chunyi Cui^{1

2

3}, Yen Wei⁴, Zhen Cheng⁵, Shuizhu Wu⁶, Hong Zhang^{7

8

9

10

11}, Mei Tian^{12

13

14}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 31009, Zhejiang, China.
² Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 31009, Zhejiang, China.
³ Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 31009, Zhejiang, China.
⁴ Department of Chemistry and the Tsinghua Center for Frontier Polymer Research, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
⁵ Molecular Imaging Center, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China.
⁶ State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Luminescence From Molecular Aggregates, College of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Wushan Road 381, Guangzhou, 510640, China.
⁷ Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 31009, Zhejiang, China. hzhang21@zju.edu.cn.
⁸ Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 31009, Zhejiang, China. hzhang21@zju.edu.cn.
⁹ Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 31009, Zhejiang, China. hzhang21@zju.edu.cn.
¹⁰ College of Biomedical Engineering & Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310014, Zhejiang, China. hzhang21@zju.edu.cn.
¹¹ Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310014, Zhejiang, China. hzhang21@zju.edu.cn.
¹² Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 31009, Zhejiang, China. meitian@zju.edu.cn.
¹³ Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 31009, Zhejiang, China. meitian@zju.edu.cn.
¹⁴ Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 31009, Zhejiang, China. meitian@zju.edu.cn.

Abstract

Optical molecular imaging and image-guided theranostics benefit from special and specific imaging agents, for which aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) have been regarded as good candidates in many biomedical applications. They display a large Stokes shift, high quantum yield, good biocompatibility, and resistance to photobleaching. Neurological diseases are becoming a substantial burden on individuals and society that affect over 50 million people worldwide. It is urgently needed to explore in more detail the brain structure and function, learn more about pathological processes of neurological diseases, and develop more efficient approaches for theranostics. Many AIEgens have been successfully designed, synthesized, and further applied for molecular imaging and image-guided theranostics in neurological diseases such as cerebrovascular disease, neurodegenerative disease, and brain tumor, which help us understand more about the pathophysiological state of brain through noninvasive optical imaging approaches. Herein, we focus on representative AIEgens investigated on brain vasculature imaging and theranostics in neurological diseases including cerebrovascular disease, neurodegenerative disease, and brain tumor. Considering different imaging modalities and various therapeutic functions, AIEgens have great potential to broaden neurological research and meet urgent needs in clinical practice. It will be inspiring to develop more practical and versatile AIEgens as molecular imaging agents for preclinical and clinical use on neurological diseases.

Keywords: Aggregation-induced emission; Brain vasculature; Fluorescence imaging; Neurological diseases; Theranostics.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Brain Neoplasms*
Fluorescent Dyes / chemistry
Fluorescent Dyes / pharmacology
Humans
Molecular Imaging
Neurodegenerative Diseases*
Optical Imaging / methods
Precision Medicine

Substances

Fluorescent Dyes